Xiao Han: "??? Excuse me, where can I trade in this TV? I want to swap it for a nuclear-powered plasma 100-inch big screen TV. I'm going to use the TV as a room divider! I've had enough of this lousy TV!"
[Power outage for the next two days]
Xiao Han: "??? Wait, is there someone inside this TV? You can hear me talking?"
Forget it, I won't say anything more. I can't afford to mess with you, you're obviously the boss.
Stepping out of the house, Xiao Han watered the plants diligently while thinking about his schedule for the day.
"After watering, I'll go pick some raspberries and wild green onions and garlic chives."
"The Foraging Skill upgrade takes patience, there's no rushing it. Then I'll head over to Grandpa Chen's house to see if there's anything he needs help with. I'll spend the rest of the day fishing! Today, I'm going to become the King of the Sea!"
After watering countless times, Xiao Han has already mastered the technique. First, he goes to the pond to fill his watering can, then returns and stands at the middle plot of land—exactly like the center square in a Sichuan hot pot's nine compartments. He waters evenly across the eight surrounding plots before finally watering the plot directly beneath his feet.
Fifteen minutes later, Xiao Han finally finished watering.
Afterward, he cooked a few pancakes for breakfast. The extras were misted with water, wrapped up, and stored in his inventory slot for lunch. Besides that, he packed raspberries and red dates too.
Having memorized the routes, Xiao Han picked 5 raspberries, 3 wild green onions, and 1 wild garlic chive in just 40 minutes. Additionally, he found 2 sheepberries—the ones the Red cotton-padded jacket lady mentioned before.
[Note: Only the first use per day is effective.]
Elaeagnus, also known as: Half Spring Fruit, Sweet Cudgel, Sparrow Crisp, Sheepberry, edible when ripe and sweet.
"Well, the stamina recovery is quite decent, but I've already gathered quite a lot of raspberries. I'll stash these in the inventory for Mr. Tang to try." Xiao Han packed everything up and rode his bike to town.
Just as he arrived at Chen Dashan's house with some buns at 7:30 in the morning, the door opened on its own before he even knocked.
Xiao Han: "? Is this some kind of automatic wooden door?"
"Xiao Han? What are you doing here?" Chen Dashan, standing behind the door, looked puzzled.
"I brought you some buns. They're tasty. Give them a try?" Xiao Han chuckled and responded.
"Sure, sure." Chen Dashan replied cheerfully.
"I picked a branch of forsythia flowers last night, they're very fragrant." Xiao Han said as he casually placed them in an empty flowerpot in the yard.
The two enjoyed the buns over tea in the yard. After they finished eating, Chen Dashan spoke slowly, "Xiao Han, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. But young people have their own things to do. Don't waste your time on me. From now on, don't come by too often."
Xiao Han listened quietly, nodded in agreement, cleaned up the house, and then left.
Xiao Han understood that Grandpa Chen liked young people, but even more, he loved seeing the country thrive and its people prosper. He cherished young individuals who exuded light and warmth, leading the community forward.
Don't worry, at least in the food aspect, I, Xiao Han, can definitely deliver!
Snapping back to his thoughts, Xiao Han rode his bike to the riverside to dig up some worms.
After digging up more than ten worms without any system glow, he realized they were just regular worms—not usable for making bait.
"Forget it, I'll settle for these 30 for now."
Leaving the riverside, Xiao Han decided to head to the pier by the sea to fish.
The Copper Blade increases fishing range and allows equipping bait, so using it in the river would be somewhat wasteful.
Cast the fishing line.
Even the sound of casting the line was unlike the toy fishing rod!
Training Rod: "???? Traitor! You were singing my praises just a few days ago!"
Ten seconds later, the first fish took the bait.
Using the bait sped up the time it took for the fish to bite significantly.
Upon entering the fishing mini-game, Xiao Han noticed some changes: the buoy extended by a quarter due to the Copper Blade and Fishing Specialization. Additionally, the screen displayed a treasure chest with a profound historical aura.
Desperate to see what's inside, Xiao Han moved the buoy over to the treasure chest.
The treasure chest was far more cooperative than the fish—it stayed completely still while its color gradually darkened and then vanished after a few seconds.
Before Xiao Han could use the buoy to catch any fish, the fishing mini-game suddenly disappeared with a "snap."
[What a shame, the fish swam away with the treasure chest.]
Give me back my treasure chest!
Give me back my bait!
Give me back my stamina!
And give me back my wasted youth!
"Looks like I shouldn't prioritize the treasure chest. I need to secure the fish first, then wait for the completion rate to reach 80% or more before handling the chest. That way, I can keep both the fish and the loot." Xiao Han summarized his lesson, reloaded the bait, and cast the line again!
Xiao Han widened his eyes and stared intently at the fishing mini-game.
Unfortunately, this time it was just a small yellow fish icon.
Better having something than nothing, right? Might as well reel it in—it's still a mini full-body therapy session.
After half an hour, Xiao Han finally spotted another treasure chest!
Taking a deep breath, he used the earlier strategy: stabilize the small yellow fish first, and once it was secure, go for the treasure chest.
One second, two seconds, three seconds!
Treasure chest seized!
Xiao Han immediately moved the buoy to the next spot where the small yellow fish was likely to move!
[Congratulations on obtaining an ordinary treasure chest from the sea]
The treasure chest had a pirate treasure-like design, covered in seaweed and glowing green.
Xiao Han removed the fish first, bent down to wash his hands, and muttered blessings to various deities—yes, sincerely.
"Open treasure chest."
Gold light emitted from the opening of the treasure chest in mid-air, slowly unveiling its contents.
Xiao Han became excited as soon as he saw the gold light emerge.
"Could it be thousands of Gold Coins?"
"Am I about to strike it rich?"
As the gold light faded away, a pitch-black crystal ball appeared before Xiao Han's eyes.
Xiao Han wanted to file a complaint about the system's excessive use of golden light!
It wasted his emotions!
[Crystal Ball: A sphere containing limitless possibilities, to be opened at the blacksmith shop]
[System Message: A marker for the blacksmith shop has been added to your map, please proceed there at your convenience]
"A new location unlocked?" Xiao Han was instantly elated, and even the pitch-black crystal ball seemed adorable.
Round and chubby—so cute.
Opening the map revealed the blacksmith shop located at the bottom-right corner, not too far from the Fisherman's Tavern.
"I'll save this for later. Who knows, maybe I can collect a few more crystal balls." Xiao Han patiently continued fishing, restoring stamina with raspberries and snacking on pancakes rolled with wild green onions when hungry.
He fished until about three in the afternoon before wrapping up his activities for the day.
His back ached, his legs felt sore—he badly wanted a full-body spa treatment.